Evaluating the Performance of U.S. Supermarkets: Pricing Strategies, Competition from Hypermarkets, and Private Labels

Abstract

This study draws upon literature from the fields of agricultural economics, industrial organization, and business to study the performance of supermarkets in the United States. The empirical work draws from a rich dataset on the characteristics of supermarkets across the U.S. to test several hypotheses. Supermarkets utilizing everyday low pricing operate more efficiently than those using other strategies. Stores increase their performance by using strategies of their closest competitors. Competition with hypermarkets results in decreased supermarket performance, especially for smaller stores. Increases in private label sales relative to national brand sales are not necessarily related to increased performance.